Sword Ed Online
by monkeycyborgninja
Summary: This wasn't just another scam gone wrong, it was a full blown disaster of the likes that they have never experienced before, follow the Eds as they are flung into the virtual world of Sword Art Online and struggle to survive this horrid death game. Will they live long enough to see the games end, or die trying.
1. Launch Day

**A/N: Hey there, Monkeycyborgninja here bringing you another crazy crossover. I don't know how I came up with this idea, I've just been really into Sword Art Online lately, and I just rediscovered my love of Ed, Edd, N Eddy, and thus this fic was born. I hope I've done the Eds justice, that's gotta be really hard to do. Well anyway, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ed, Edd, N Eddy or Sword Art Online**

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**Launch Day**

"Come on Double D, is it ready yet?" Eddy yelled impatiently at his intellectual companion as he was fiddling around with some wires.

"Patients Eddy, this is a very complicated and delicate procedure, and unless you want the modules to lose power half way through a session, I suggest you calm down and let me work." The sock headed Ed boy replied, calmly and politely at that. He was trying to rewire an old outlet they salvaged from the junkyard to work properly with an Internet cable, or something like it. This outlet was also connected to a series of extension cords that led all the way back to Eddy's house; there were three of these rigs set up, each connected to one of the boys' house, and Double D was just finishing on the last outlet. "And, done, that should do it… hopefully."

"Finally, now plug them in. ED, is the sign up yet?" Eddy said as he walked over to his tall, dimwitted friend, who seemed to be fumbling on the ladder he was on as he was carefully placing the sign in its proper place.

"Up and Adam, Eddy." Ed said with delight as he looked down at Eddy and put his hand on his head in a salute motion, but this caused the lad to lose balance and fall head first on the ground. "Gravy." He randomly uttered, which Eddy just ignored.

"Perfect, just perfect." Eddy said as he gazed upon the sign. It was made out of cardboard and written on it, with messy handwriting, were the bright words "Ed's Cyber Café, Featuring: Sword Art Online". "This scam is pure gold, no more rusted metal or broken handlebars; we've hit the big time with this one."

"I must admit, now that we have a legitimate gimmick, we might actually succeed in bringing a little joy into the Cul-Du-Sac." Double D Stated as he carried over a box to the rigs he just built.

"Not to mention a ton of mullah in my pocket." Eddy added as he tapped his fingers together sinisterly.

"Moos are for Cows Eddy, but we shall be swashbuckling heroes, journeying to distant lands and bringing truth and justice as we unsheathe our blades." Ed said in an excited voice as he took a stick and began swinging it around as if he were fighting off some rouge.

"Hm Hm, and a fine hero you will be Ed." Double D played along as he opened one of the boxes. He reached in and pulled out a futuristic looking bluish grey helmet; on the forehead were the letters NVE, and below that in smaller print were the words "NerveGear". "The NerveGear, probably the most advanced piece of technology every developed by human hands, and to think they would waste it on something as trivial as a video game." Double D said with a bit of distaste.

"Oh cry me a river Sockhead, just plug it in already." Eddy ordered, which Double D complied with a sigh. It was true though; the NerveGear was the latest innovation in Japanese gaming technology, and while there were a couple of games already out for it in Japan, none were as advanced as the long awaited Sword Art Online, the worlds very first Virtual Reality MMORPG. And how did these middle class American teenage boys get their hands on these amazing Japanese devices, well, the credit goes to their "otaku" friend Ed. He entered a contest he found at the back of a Manga he read about a month ago and by some miracle he won; the prize: a set of NerveGear and a copy of Sword Art Online for each member of his family. However, he entered the contest so he could play with his dear friends, and so he only ordered three, but that was more than enough to get the gears in Eddy's head turning full speed.

"At a quarter a head, we'll be eating jawbreakers by lunchtime, and if this game really is as great they say it is, then those saps will be coming back for more all day and night, and then we'll be set for life!" Eddy reveled in his own genius, he was going to charge each one of his peers a one hour session with the NerveGear, and while the others are waiting for their turn, they'll serve them drinks and snacks for extra profits. "I tell you I'm so good I even scare myself."

"Yes, well, the NerveGears are all set Eddy, and it still should be the launch date in Japan."

"Alright boys, let's make some money." Eddy said as he grabbed a traffic cone and began screaming into it like a bullhorn. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Cul-Du-Sac; come experience the greatest gaming experience of the millennia!" Eddy's shouting caused all of their adolescent neighbors to emerge from their houses and enter the street, where the Eds had their crewed shack of cardboard walls set up.

"ED, what's with all the racket!?" Ed's little sister Sarah exclaimed to the tall Ed boy.

"It's so early; I haven't even had breakfast yet." Nazz said with a yawn.

"Alright Dorks, what's going on?" Kevin inquired in a threatening tone that the Eds knew all too well.

"I'm glad you asked, Kevin old pal." Eddy replied in that salesmen like tone of his. "Haven't you ever wanted to escape all of the hassle of everyday life, wouldn't like to throw yourself into a distant land and become the hero of legend you've always wanted to be?" He paused for a moment to see their reactions, and to his satisfaction, they seemed interested. "Well now you can, here at Ed's Cyber Café you will be given exclusive access to a new, state of the art piece of equipment strait out of Tokyo, Japan: The NerveGear." He stepped aside to reveal the three helmets that were currently placed on pedestals in order to show them off. The group "Oohed" and "Ahhed" at the sight of the three devices, especially since unlike all of the other things the Eds tried to pawn off on them, they actually looked professionally made, like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. "This highly advanced head gear will transport you to the fantastic and wondrous world of Sword Art Online, the worlds very first VRMMORPG, don't believe me, then step up and try it for yourself. For the low, low price of one quarter you can have one hour of play time with this revolutionary device, and those waiting for their turn are more than welcome to relax in the café area, where you will be served drinks and snacks until a helmet clears up. So what do you say, who wants to be the first outside of Japan to experience the wonder that is Sword Art Online?" All of the kids were raising their hands; like children in a classroom that knew the answer to a question that was just asked. They all seemed ecstatic at the thought of being the first to play a virtual reality video game; this was a kid's dream come true. However, not all of them were as enthusiastic.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on a second here." Kevin spoke up, calming the assembly and stepping forward. "Do you really expect us to believe that you dorks were able to get your grubby hands on virtual reality helmets when you can't even afford a 25 cent jawbreaker?" He said, more to convince his comrades than anything else, and it seemed to work.

"Hey yeah, for all we know those could be painted bicycle helmets or something." Johnny added.

"Gentlemen, I assure you all that these NerveGears are perfectly legitimate." Double D said, trying to win back their potential customers, as well as defend the honor of these technological marvels. "We procured these devices through a contest the Argus Corporation was holding, Ed entered it last month and he was fortunate enough to win, here's the shipping information and notification if you don't believe me." He handed Kevin the documents which he then began to examine, and despite the jock's minimal knowledge on the matter, they looked real enough to convince him.

"Hmm, alright, fine, so they're real, but that doesn't mean we should go sticking our heads into those things." Kevin said, still highly skeptical.

"Like, are they even safe?" Nazz inquired with a bit of nervousness.

"Yeah, are they, I don't want to go in there and come out as stupid as my brother." Sarah added.

"Love you too, baby sister!" Ed said with glee, totally unaware of the insult.

"Look, there's nothing to worry about, if it was really dangerous they wouldn't be selling these things to kids now would they." Eddy insisted in a bit of an exasperated tone. "Remember, this is a once in a life time opportunity, who knows when these things are going to come out in America, and they're going to cost a fortune when they do, but if you really want to pass up a practically free trial run of this INCREDIBLE gaming experience, then that's fine with me." Eddy said with fake indifference, hoping to get the kids back on board.

"Well then dorky, if it's so great, why don't you take it for a spin?" Kevin challenged.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you, what's wrong, scared?" The kids "Oohed" at the accusation, further pressuring Eddy to respond.

"I'm not scared; I'm just, you know, I…" He struggled to come up with an excuse, but none came to mind.

"Come on, show us that there's nothing to worry about."

"You know Eddy; a demonstration seems to be a small price to pay to assure the safety and well being of our peers." Double D said, trying to convince him to go through with it. Eddy pulled Double D to the side in order to speak in private.

"You sure these things are safe?" He whispered.

"Perfectly Eddy, they've gone through beta testing and everything." Double D assured. Eddy pondered for a moment longer and finally decided that if this scam was to work, he had no choice but to do it.

"Alright fine, but you two are coming with me." Eddy said as he dragged Double D over to the nearest NerveGear.

"Uh, pardon…" Double D began before Eddy shoved one of the helmets onto his head.

"My turn, Eddy." Ed said as he kneeled down his head a helmet.

"Here you go lumpy." Eddy then forcefully placed the second NerveGear onto his head, encasing Ed's head and neck for a second before it sprung back up in a spring like manner.

"Um, Eddy, I-I not certain if I have the appropriate motor skills to properly navigate myself through…" Double D rambled as Eddy put on the last NerveGear.

"Pipe down Sock Head and tell me how to work this thing." Eddy ordered before he plopped down on a recliner chair they salvaged from the junk yard. Double D sighed and complied.

"Yes well, the on switch should be on the right side of the helmet." Double D instructed as he himself flicked the switch on his own helmet. The two Eds felt around for the switch for a second before they found it and switched it on. They both heard a power up sound and a grey transparent visor fell over their eyes.

"Whoa." Eddy said, a bit surprised by the sudden action. The words "Welcome to NerveGear" appeared on the inside of the visor along with the message "To optimize your gaming experience, we must first calibrate this unit to your unique specifications, please follow the following instructions".

"Ed will obey!" Ed shouted, much to Eddy's annoyance. The NerveGear then instructed them to stand up and touch various parts of their bodies, such as their shoulders, knees, head, even their toes, and they often have to touch them more than once. It must have looked ridiculous, considering the laughter coming from the kids. Eventually, the calibration was complete and another message appeared saying "Thank you for your cooperation, now sit back, relax, and enjoy: Sword Art Online".

"It's about time." Eddy said as he sat back down on his chair and reclined it for extra comfort. Another power up sound emanated from the NerveGear, this one getting increasingly louder with each passing second. Double D was shaking in nervousness while Ed was wiggling in excitement, saying "oh boy, oh boy…" over and over again. Just as Eddy was about to lose his patience, two more words appeared on the visor. "Say what… Link, Start." Eddy said, unsure of what they were meant to do with the fraise, but the second he said them the visor went white followed by a few brief seconds of seeing tunnel vision colors. After that, five blue circles began flying at Eddy, stopping right before his face, each one having one of the five senses written in their center. As the Touch circle flew by, and the word changed to "OK", he could no longer feel the chair he was supposed to be sitting in, he now felt as if he was floating in mid air. Sight and Hearing then passed, and thus Eddy could no longer hear the chattering of his peers, and finally Smell and Taste flew by, and he felt the strangest sensation of being completely cut off from the world; it was unpleasant to say the least. Just then, a language selection came up and he saw that it was currently set to Japanese. Without really thinking about it, he reached out and touched the Language Icon and brought up the selection of languages, which there were only two, Japanese and English. Eddy hit the English icon and the screen then faded away to what seemed to be a log in screen. Eddy obviously didn't have an account, and so he pushed "New User" and the screen cleared away to a now gray screen with black letters that read "Welcome to Sword Art Online". He was then flung into a bright blue vortex and suddenly appeared in a black room that had blue outlines so one could tell where the walls were.

"Welcome to Sword Art Online's Character Creation Station." A voice said that seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, which startled Eddy a bit. "Here you will decide what you want your avatar to look like, but first things first, please enter the name of your character." As the voice said this, a holographic keyboard appeared before Eddy. He was a little hesitant but reached out to it and began typing, E-D-D-Y. He was about to press enter when he just thought of something, this was a video game, an MMO in fact, no one uses their real name in an MMO, and so he backspaced and tried to think of a name for himself.

"Ah, I got it." He said with satisfaction as he typed in his character name, "Richmond". "As in, 'rich man', ha ha." He then hit the enter key and the keyboard disappeared.

"Good, now please select the appearance of your character, remember, your character's appearance cannot be changed latter on." Just then, a large full body mirror appeared before him and his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the image staring back at him. He looked like… a typical teenage boy, and a Japanese one at that, pale skin, black hair, and most importantly, normal height. He moved around to make sure it was indeed him, and it was.

"Wow, unreal." He said in disbelief. He then snapped out of it and began looking through the options placed on the mirror until he found the one he was looking for: Height. He clicked the icon and saw a sliding meter that was about half way up. "Hmm, I wonder…" He said as he put his finger to the slider and slid it all the way to the right. He then felt a rising sensation and realized he was indeed getting taller. He put a large grin on his face and started laughing with glee. "Ha ha, wow, look at me, I'm a regular giant, if only the guys at the Cul-Du-Sac could see me now." He said as he admired himself in the mirror. He then began making some more changes to his look. He chose a handsome looking face, slicked back hair, gave himself an average muscle build, and chose a yellow version of the basic clothing. "Looking good." He said as he took one last look at the mirror and hit the "Done" icon.

"Thank you; you shall now be transported to the Town of Beginnings for the gameplay tutorial, good luck." Once the voice had finished speaking, Eddy, or rather Richmond, was engulfed in a bright blue light for a few seconds, and when it cleared up, he found himself in an entirely new area. He was in some sort of circular structure with no roof over head and thus he could see the sky. He looked around and was just completely awestruck at it all, the architecture, the small shrubs around the edges of the structure; it all looked so real, he would've never guessed that he was in a video game.

"Wow." Was all Richmond could say. He took a few steps forward and surveyed the area to find any other players. He could hear some voices in the distance, but nothing really nearby.

"Hey there." A voice said from behind him. He turned around to see two strange looking people smiling at him. One looked exactly like the default male avatar, except he had a black cap on and a red orange version of the basic clothing. The other was a large, muscular man with a long, orange beard and a green version of the basic clothing; he was also wearing a goofy grin on his face and was waving innocently at him. At first, Richmond didn't know what to make of these people, but then, it came to him.

"Ed, Double D, is that you?" Richmond said in disbelief.

"In the flesh Eddy, or rather polygons I suppose." Double D replied.

"Who is this Ed you speak of, for I am Lothar, slayer of demons and defender of bacon, yum."

"Yep, that's Ed alright." Richmond said in a dead pan tone.

"You know Eddy, it goes against gamer's etiquette to refer to someone by their real name, so I suggest we begin calling each other by our screen names." Double D said politely. Richmond rolled his eyes a bit, but he did have a point, after all why have cool screen names if they were not going to use them.

"Alright then, my screen name is Richmond, what's yours?"

"Lothar, Richmond!" Lothar replied with glee, taking to the new name right away.

"Well, in the spirit of this glorious scientific and technological achievement, I have chosen the moniker: Einstein." Double D, now called Einstein, said.

"Einstein, seriously?" Richmond said with a bit of a snicker.

"Oh and yours is so clever." Einstein retorted.

"Whatever Sock Head, come on, let's start actually playing this game, remember we only have an hour, then we can start raking in the dough." Richmond stated as he began walking towards the exit of the area, with Lothar mindlessly following him, followed begrudgingly by Einstein. As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, a text box appeared before each of them, titled Objective and written in it was "Locate an **Items Shop**". "What the… what is this?"

"It seems to be the tutorial the voice mentioned earlier." Einstein clarified.

"It is a mission from the GREAT DIVINE! On ward my brothers, we shall fulfill this request and gain the favor of the heavens!" Lothar exclaimed as he charged forward as if he were running into battle. Both Eds sighed and followed their friend into what seemed to be the shopping district of the town. There they found hundreds of other players browsing the various stalls set up, shopping for helpful items and weapons no doubt. The two eventually caught up with they're friend at a quaint little items shop, and upon entering they immediately found themselves talking to the shop owner, who was a male NPC. It was there they learned about buying and selling items, the touch interface, and were each given a Guide Book and a Beginner's Sword free of charge.

"Man, this sword bites." Richmond complained as he examined the short, insignificant looking blade. "Couldn't he have given us something better, he had like three other swords hanging on his wall that looked ten times stronger than this piece of crud."

"Remember Richmond, we're just starting out, if we put in the appropriate time and effort, we can certainly upgrade our arsenal, not that it would be an appropriate use of our time in the first place." Einstein replied, still a bit critical of the game.

"A true warrior can fight with even the puniest of swords Richmond. And I, Lothar, am the greatest of all warriors!" Lothar said as he unsheathed his sword and swung it around, nearly chopping his friends' heads clean off.

"Alright then, lunk head, then why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" Richmond said in a challenging tone.

"In my potato salad?" Lothar replied dimwittedly, which Richmond just ignored.

"To the Hunting Grounds!" He said as he dashed towards to edge of the town.

"To battle Einstein!" Lothar called to his friend, who seemed a bit nervous.

"Couldn't we just linger in the town a little bit longer… gentlemen…" he called out to them, but when he received no answer, he followed as well.

"GAH!" Lothar let out a grunt as he was knocked back by the enemy's attack. The group was in the area known as the West Field, and they were currently fighting an enemy that took the appearance of a blue boar, known as the Frenzy Boar according to the name that was floating above it. Its HP was represented by a yellow bar floating above it as well, that was currently half way down, but then again, so was Lothar's. The group was having trouble grasping the concept of the Sword Skill system and thus they were just swinging their swords wildly at it, and obviously that wasn't working out to well.

"P-perhaps we should consider a strategic retreat." Einstein said shakily as he awkwardly held up his sword in defense.

"Heck no, there's no way we're running away from a pig… not again." Richmond replied as he charged towards the boar and locked its tusks with his blade, which was a bit awkward considering his height. "ED, get ready to attack again!" He ordered, his frustration making him forget to use Ed's screen name.

"Got it Eddy!" Lothar complied with glee.

"Wait Lothar, maybe you should try using one of those Sword Skills the tutorial mentioned." Einstein suggested, which Lothar just replied with a blank stare. "Remember, this box." He then pulled up the main menu and went to Help then Tutorials to show him the instruction on how to use the first basic Sword Skill Slant. "Now remember, just succeed in doing to correct Initial Motion Input and once you feel the Skill has activated, execute it." He explained, but Lothar still just stared at him. "Copy this motion and you will gain power Ed." He said much more simply, and that seemed to work for him.

"Oh, right-o." Lothar said. He then got into position and copied the pose done by the person in the picture Einstein showed him. As he settled into the pose, his blade began to glow a bluish color, much to his comrades surprise.

"Oh my." Einstein said. A moment later, Lothar unleashed the skill, dashing forward and landing a diagonal slash on the boar just as Richmond moved out of the way. The hit left an orange gash on the boar and the last of its HP ran out, causing it to explode in countless polygon shards. A screen titled Results then appeared, showing the EXP, Money, called Col, and items he earned for his victory.

"Lothar triumphs again!" He exclaimed as he pointed his sword to the sky in a heroic fashion.

"Good going lumpy." Richmond said as he held up his hand for a high five, which Lothar happily complied with.

"Yes, well, as impressive as that was, the Frenzy Boar is the weakest monster in the game." Einstein said, reading from the Guide Book.

"Wait, seriously, but that thing could take us all on at once!" Richmond said in disbelief.

"I suppose that's because we neglected to use our Sword Skills from the very start, allowing the monster somewhat of an advantage, I'm sure if from now one we remember to use them they will no longer be such a hassle for us." Einstein replied in that know it all tone of his, though he wasn't trying to sound like that, it's just how he was.

"Well let's test that out, look, there's a couple more." Richmond said as he pointed to two more Frenzy Boars spawning at the top of a hill. "These two are mine." He took out his sword and was about to charge when Einstein put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Just hold on a minute Richmond, perhaps you should heal before you blindly rush into combat again." He suggested. Richmond was a bit annoyed, but when he looked at his HP bar, which was almost half way down, he realized he was right. "Luckily I have taken the liberty of purchasing these health potions before we left the items shop." Einstein pulled out two clear bottles with red liquid inside out of his right Item Pouch and handed them to his comrades.

"Oh, uh, thanks." Richmond said.

"Ten thousand Gazuntites." Lothar said as he gulped down the drink in a second and watched as his HP increased back to full.

"Hmm, cherry." Richmond commented on the surprisingly tasteful potion.

"And now that we are all fit as fiddles, what do you say we continue onward with our quest." Einstein said with a chuckle, finally getting into the spirit of the game.

"You said it, Sock Head, charge!" Richmond yelled as he and his comrades readied their swords and charged up the hill, gaining the attention of one of the Frenzy Boars.

The group spent the remainder of the hour farming monsters in the grassy fields. The sun was now setting in the computer generated sky which made for a beautiful sight against the exotic scenery, so much so that the Eds took a moment to relax and just enjoy the marvelous world around them.

"Wow, what in incredible sunset." Richmond said as he stared at the horizon.

"The gods smile upon us this day." Lothar said as he plopped down on the ground next to Einstein.

"I must admit gentlemen, I was quite critical of this game at first, but I have indeed enjoyed my time here, however short it may have been." Einstein stated with a smile as he gazed at the scenery around him.

"You can say that again… almost makes me not want to give it up." Richmond replied, gaining the attention of his comrades. "I feel like I can actually be somebody here, you know. Free from the hassles of everyday life, the cliques, the peer-pressure, the hatred of our classmates, I have a blank slate, Eddy doesn't exist here, only Richmond, I feel… reborn." Lothar and Einstein were surprised by what he was saying, that certainly didn't sound like the Eddy they knew, but despite this, they understood what he was saying, they both felt the same way to a certain degree, and smiled at their friend for putting it into words for them. Richmond then cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Well, tough luck for me a guess, we still promised the saps at home a turn with these things after all. So come on, let's get out of here, besides, the sooner we get their turns over and done with the sooner we can come back, am I right?" Lothar and Einstein smiled and nodded at the prospect and stood up ready to go.

"Indeed, our hour is just about up, so we should really get going." Einstein agreed.

"Farewell my brothers, shall we meet again on the field of battle some day." Lothar said dramatically.

"Well, see you guys on the other side." Richmond said. And with that, the three friends turned away from each other as if they were really about to go somewhere and opened the main menu to log out. Richmond hesitated at bit, taking one finally look at the sunset to commit it to memory.

"Uh, Einstein, where's the log out button?" Lothar asked innocently, regaining the attention of his friends.

"It's probably right in front of your face lumpy." Richmond said, thinking it was just another one of his friend's idiotic moments.

"Actually Richmond, I can't seem to locate it either." Einstein stated, gaining a more serious response from Richmond.

"Wait, seriously, but it should be right… here?" Richmond opened the menu only to find that there indeed was no logout button, there was only Options and Help.

"See, it's not there." Lothar said.

"But how can that be, according to the Guide Book the Logout option should be under the Main Menu, if it's not there… oh dear…" Einstein began freaking out, frantically flipping through the Guide Book for a solution.

"May the gods have mercy on our toenails." Lothar said in a bit of a grave voice.

"Pipe down you two, it's probably just a bug or something, these large scale games always have something wrong with them at first." Richmond assured.

"I suppose so, but just to be safe we better call the Game Master, perhaps he can tell us what's going on." Einstein suggested. He was about to do just that when the three heard what sounded like an ominous church bell ringing in the distance, the sound of which was so unnerving that the three could not speak as the sound pounded against their eardrums. After a while, the three were engulfed by a bright blue light and disappeared from the empty field.

The three players reappeared in the same courtyard in which they started the game, along with what seemed like every other player currently logged on, and even more were teleporting in.

"What the… what just happened?" Richmond inquired; feeling his body to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be.

"It seems we were teleported back to the starting area, but why?" Einstein said just as confused. Eventually, the bell stopped it's ringing, but that didn't seem to quell anyone's worries.

"Up there." They heard someone say, and they all lifted their faces up to find a flashing red hexagon with the word "Warning" in all caps at the center of the sky. Moments later, thousands of identical icons covered the sky, bathing everything in a brilliant blood red color, and just when they thought things couldn't get any stranger, dark red ooze then began to seep between the icons and came together in the sky to for the shape of a faceless humanoid in what seemed to be red ceremonial robes.

"A Game Master?"

"Why doesn't he have a face?"

"Is this and event?"

"It is the evil wizard Baron Obifdif, come back from the third layer of hell to wreak his unholy vengeance!" Lothar exclaimed, hiding behind his two companions. As ridiculous as it sounded, the two Eds didn't dismiss that possibility.

"Attention players." The cloaked figure announced as he raised his hands to gain everyone's attention. "Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko, as of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world." The entire assembly was astonished by this, especially a certain big brained Ed boy.

"Astonishing, the real live Kayaba Akihiko, the genius who created the NerveGear and this entire world, I cannot believe I am meeting him face to… uh… lack thereof, I suppose." Einstein gushed out, it was obvious that he greatly admired the genius inventor, which sort of made Richmond role his eyes in annoyance.

"I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the Main Menu." Kayaba continued, opening the Main Menu and pointing to where the Logout button was meant to be. "But, this is not a defect of the game. I repeat; this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online."  
"A feature, what do you mean a feature?" Richmond shouted at the floating Game Master, but was just ignored.

"You cannot log of SAO yourselves, and no one on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life." At this claim, the entire assembly went into an uproar, some in shock and some in annoyance and disbelief.

"Fry our brains, pfft, yeah right, he's got to be messing with us, right Sock Head." Richmond insisted, but when he turned to his friend, he looked genuinely distraught.

"No Eddy, the transmitter in the NerveGear does operate on microwaves, so it is indeed possible to destroy the brain if the intensity was increased." He explained, shocking both Lothar and Richmond.

"Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world."

"T-two hundred and thirteen!?" Richmond said in total shock.

"Is that more than three?" Lothar asked but was ignored.

"As you can see; news organizations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume that the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game." As he said this, Kayaba pulled up multiple news feeds on floating screens, most of them were from some part of Japan, but there was one news feed that caught the Ed's attention. It was of Fox News, and it showed they're very neighborhood filled with police cars and paramedics, checking the vital signs of the three Ed's motionless bodies. Around the scene were the kids and their families, they all seemed very distraught, especially their own parents, they're mothers crying hysterically and their father's trying their best to comfort them, even Sarah was sobbing in her mother's arms for the unfortunate fate of her older brother. The Eds were so shocked that they almost stopped listening to Kayaba as he continued.

"But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP reaches zero, your avatar will be lost forever, and simultaneously… the NerveGear will destroy your brain." Everyone was utterly horrified at this prospect, many of them had nearly been defeated by a simple Frenzy Boar, to think that they could have met their demise at the hands of a computer generated pig, it was just completely unsettling. "There is only one means of escape; to complete the game." He then brought up a 3D map of the entire structure of Aincrad for all to see. "You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

"Clear all hundred floors? That's impossible, the beta testers never made it anywhere near that high!" They heard someone say, which just made the situation look that much bleaker.

"Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves." Kayaba requested, and everyone seemed to comply. There was indeed a new item in everyone's storage, labeled simply as Mirror. Richmond selected the item and it appeared in his hand, it just looked like a regular mirror to him, but just as he was about to disregard it, Lothar and Einstein were engulfed by a blue light, followed by dozens of players next to him, and himself as well.

"Are you alright, Richmond?" He heard Einstein say.

"Uh, yeah, I think so." He replied, turning around just to be met with Einstein's chest. He looked up to see the all too familiar face of Double D, his real world face in fact, almost perfectly recreated. He saw the shocked look on Double D's face when their eyes met, and just then he realized he was once again his original height. He glanced back at the mirror and saw that his avatar had also reverted to his real world appearance, except for his hair, that was the same style he chose, except it now had three long hairs sticking up from the center of his forehead and slicked back like the rest of his hair.

"E-Eddy?" Double D said in disbelief.

"D-Double D?" Eddy replied.

"Don't forget Ed." They heard from their right, and turn to see Ed, who was in the same state that they were in, and not just them, everyone seemed to be in the same boat, once handsome and heroic looking people were now average and mundane nobodies, and the most disturbing would probably be the fact that some of the female avatars turned out to be male players.

"What the… what the heck's going on here?" Eddy demanded. "Alright you faceless freak, TALK!"

"Right now, you're probably wondering, why, why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do all this? My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason… to create this world and intervene in it. And now, it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch. Good luck, players." And with that ominous note, Kayaba faded away into data and pixels, the icons in the sky clearing up as he left as well. Everyone was in dead silence, trying to process all that they were just told. The seconds felt like hours until finally the frightened scream of a young girl snapped everyone out of their daze. Before you knew it, the courtyard was in total chaos, players screaming and panicking, demanding that Kayaba set them free, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. The Eds were completely petrified, Ed and Eddy just stood in place staring at where Kayaba once was, while Double D had fell to his knees in complete and utter despair. Not too long ago they had desired to not have to leave this incredible world of swords, and now, they didn't even have a choice.

* * *

**A/N: And that's it for now, basically an adaption of the first episode of the anime. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next, which will depict the Eds' reaction to this death game and how they decide to deal with it. Well, see you guys later, and don't forget to R&R please.**


	2. The Journey Begins

**A/N: Hey guys, Monkeycyborgninja here bringing you chapter 2 of Sword Ed Online. Now first, I'd just like thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter, in fact I'm actually pretty surprised at how great of a response it got, and so quickly too. Well, hopefully this chapter will be just as good and I hope you enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ed, Edd, N Eddy or Sword Art Online.**

* * *

**The Journey Begins**

Double D stuck the metal key into the keyhole and turned it, once he heard a clicking sound he turned the knob and swung the door open to reveal a cozy looking room with two beds, a wall lamp, oddly enough, and a desk pressed up against the window to allow for a view. It had been about an hour or so since Kayaba Akihiko addressed the players, and the Eds spent most of that hour just standing in place in complete horror, but that was nothing compared to the reactions from the other players. They were rioting in a complete rage, breaking down in total insanity, and a selective few even committed suicide, it was complete chaos. It wasn't until minutes ago that the Eds calmed enough to decide that the best thing to do right now was get a room at some Inn for the night, so they sold the items they got from fighting Frenzy Boars and rented a room at the nearest Inn. Unfortunately the greatest number of beds available was two, they thought that two of them they would have to share, but Ed decided to sleep on the floor, Double D said that he could share with him, but Ed insisted, said he didn't mind. As soon as they entered the room they shut off the light and lay down to sleep. The strange thing was that it was actually still early morning back at the Cul-Du-Sac, they shouldn't have been tired, but Kayaba's "Tutorial" had completely sucked the life out of them, they were depressed and just wanted to close their eyes and forget about this whole ordeal, and wake up in their own familiar rooms and dismiss it as just a horrible dream, but knew that was just wishful thinking. The Eds just laid there in utter silence, trying their best to force themselves to sleep, but after two hours for forcefully shutting his eyes closed Eddy gave up and sat up on his bed. He looked to the bottom left of his field of vision where the time was displayed, It was 0:12, which Eddy had no idea what that translated to, but judging by the lighting from the window, he knew it was late.

"Hey guys, are you awake?" He said as softly as he could, and after a moment of gaining no response, he assumed they were asleep. He envied them, he wished he could fall asleep, but every time he began to he would see his HP bar dropping down to zero, and the red cloaked Kayaba Akihiko laughing as he shattered into a million polygon shards. He knew he would never get to sleep, and so he got off the bed and slowly and quietly made his way to the door. He swung it open and softly closed it behind him as to not disturb his sleeping friends, but little did he know, Ed was already awake. He had ignored Eddy's earlier statement merely because he did not feel like talking, he wouldn't know what to say, heck he didn't know what to _think_, but one thought did go through his head over and over ever since the announcement. "This is all my fault". If he hadn't entered that stupid contest they wouldn't have been in this mess, they would be back in Peach Creek trying to pull of some other hair brained scheme Eddy concocted, and it would've probably ended in pain, at least they would live to fight another day, but here, there was no guarantee of that. Ed's lip quivered and his eyes filled with tears, he just his best not to whimper as to not wake Double D. As much as he tried to force them back, Ed's tears escaped his eyes and fell down his face, one by one then in an endless stream, and with that, he cried himself to sleep.

Meanwhile, his friend in the bed next to him began tossing and turning, mumbling things like "No… no, please, stop."

_Double D's Dreamscape_

_ Double D was running frantically in a dark, endless abyss, he would look over his shoulder every now and then to see countless creatures chasing after him, which just made him increase his speed. Eventually, he reached the edge of the abyss and turned around to face his pursuers, albeit in complete terror. He shakily unsheathed his sword and held it up in a weak defensive stance. One of the faceless beasts swung its claws at him which Double D was fortunate enough to block, but the next swing knocked his sword right out of his hands. Double D fell on his bottom as he backed away from the creature, which had its claws high above his head in preparation for his finishing attack. Double D shut his eyes and waiting for the strike to hit, but it never did. He heard the monster shriek and the sound of a monster exploding into polygons, and opened his eyes to find none other than Eddy, his sword thrusted outward right where the monster had once been. _

_ "E-Eddy?" he said in a shaky voice._

_ "That was close one Sock Head, get your head in the game." Eddy berated him as he readied his sword for another strike._

_ "Be gone evil minions of the undead!" He heard to his right, and saw Ed with his sword held high and slashing right through the army of monsters. Eddy soon joined him and for a moment Double D just stared at how brilliantly they fought. He spotted his sword to this left and crawled over to it, but before he could pick it up, it was kicked away by a skeletal warrior, its sword held high to strike him down. But before it could, Ed knocked the sword out of its hand and decapitated it; he then immediately jumped over Double D to fight off another that was coming up from behind. _

_ "Come on Double D, get up and fight!" He heard Eddy say as he finished off another monster. Double D looked around and found his sword again, but no matter how hard he commanded his body to reach for it, he just couldn't, he was frozen in fear._

_ "I… I can't, I just can't do it Eddy!" He screamed to his friend in shame._

_ "What are you talking about, just pick the dang sword up and…" Eddy was silenced midsentence as he was penetrated through the chest by the rusty blade of a skeletal warrior's sword. After a moment of shock, Double D watched as the last of Eddy's HP depleted and he burst in thousands of polygon shards._

_ "…EDDY!" Double D screamed in horror, gaining the attention of Ed. He finished the monster he was fighting and ran over to avenge his fallen friend. He slashed at the warrior and killed him in seconds, and then turned his attention to a bestial creature to his right. He decapitated him and slashed him down the middle, killing it, but before Double D could say anything, he was struck in the back by another monster, causing him to fall to the ground before Double D. He looked up and his eyes met with his friends, he reached out his hand towards him as the last of his HP ran out._

_ "D-Double D." He muttered just before he exploded into shards, just before Double D could grasp his hand._

_ "Ed… Eddy… no, please, DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!" He screamed as he desperately reached out to grab the shards that were once his best friend. He then heard a snorting sound and looked to see a Frenzy Boar staring him down. It rubbed its front right hoof on the ground as if it was preparing to charge. "No… no, please, stop." He said barely above a whisper before the boar charged and rammed right into Double D, knocking him back quite a bit. He then watched as his entire HP bar fell from 250 all the way to Zero in the blink of an eye. He watched in horror as his hands began to glow, the action one's body does before it bursts. "No… no…"_

_End Dreamscape_

"NOOOOOOOO!" Double D screamed as he shot up on his bed. He breathed heavily as he surveyed his surroundings, realizing that he was back in the Inn room and that it was all just a dream, well, not _all_ of it unfortunately.

"Double D?" Ed said from the floor. Double D looked over the bed to see Ed with a worried look on his face, and it did Double D some good to see that his friend was safe and sound. "Are… you ok?" Ed asked a bit awkwardly.

"Y-yes Ed, I am… perfectly fine, just a nightmare." Double D assured, but Ed was not convinced.

"But, you screamed pretty loud Double D, are you sure you're…"

"Ed, I said I'm fine, now just go to sleep." Double D cut him off in a bit of a nasty tone. Double D appreciated Ed's concern, but he just wanted to get his mind off his terrible dream and go back to sleep. Ed on the other hand thought that he was mad at him, and he had every right to be.

* * *

Eddy had absentmindedly wondered out of the Starting City and back into West Field, and eventually to the exact same spot that he and his friends had watched the sun set, and discovered their inability to logout. He sat down and just blankly stared out at the calm, moonlit landscape. Despite its deadly usage, the world of Aincrad was still a beautiful sight to behold, it calmed Eddy down a bit, but no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't forget that this breath taking world was still a prison, one of which he had no means of escape. He replayed the events that lead to his imprisonment, from Ed happily showing him his "Winners Notice", to being pressured into putting on the NerveGear by his peers. It was this memory, the memory of the kids he left behind; that brought him the most pain, to think that he could've brought this fate upon one of them, and for what, a measly 25 cents that they would've wasted on some tooth rotting candy, it was… despicable, it would've been by far the worst deed that they had ever done in their entire lives, that he's ever done to those innocent kids of the Cul-Du-Sac. Sure they weren't his favorite people in the whole world, but he would never want to put their lives in danger like this. He then took a moment to reflect on all of the things he had done in his life, every scam he had pulled, every person he had swindled, and finally, all the pain he has caused. Not only to the kids, but to himself and his friends, if he hadn't been such a penny pinching pest, the kids would have no reason to hate him, or his comrades for that matter, he had put them in harm's way before, but this just took the cake. And now, here they were, trapped in a video game of all things, and with the possibility of death looming over their shoulders every waking moment. He just felt so helpless, he could barely survive puberty; how could he survive one hundred floors of pure, agonizing death. Ed would probably be fine, with his monstrous strength and love of fantasy, he would be able to at least survive, and Double D was wicked smart, he probably already had the entire guide book memorized; he would have no problem navigating his way through this world with minimal danger to his actual life. But him, he had nothing, no brains, no brawn, he was just a big mouthed teenager that hasn't seen a growth spurt since he was five, he was just scrawny, helpless, powerless Eddy, his death was all but an absolute certainty. Suddenly, he was brought out of his thoughts by a low growling sound coming from behind him. He slowly turned his head to find a grey furred wolf staring menacingly at him, his sharp, white teeth showing as he let out a steady growl. Eddy immediately sprang to his feet and backed up a few steps, the wolf reacting by talking a single step forward. Eddy was frozen with fear, his first instinct was to make a run for it, but on second thought that would've been futile, it was clear the wolf had already targeted him, and it probably wouldn't stop chasing him until it either caught him, or he made it back to a safe zone, and Eddy knew he couldn't out run it, so that was out of the question. With no other option, Eddy slowly unsheathed his sword and held it up in defense. The wolf reacted by growling louder, which spooked Eddy a little, but he held his ground. Eddy shifted his pose a little and was surprised that his blade started glowing; having accidently activated a Sword Skill. At that moment, the wolf charged at Eddy, its eyes glowing a bright yellow that was extremely noticeable, and intimidating, in the darkness of the night. Eddy panicked, everything was going in slow motion; he felt as if he had been standing there for hours, just waiting for wolf to brutally strike him down. He closed his eyes and just waited for his demise, but just as he was about to lose hope, he felt the Sword Skill finish charging, and without even thinking about it, he unleashed it, dashing forward and landing a horizontal slash that left an orange gash of data on the wolf's pelt. A second later, the wolf burst and the typical congratulatory window appeared before Eddy, but before he could even read what his winnings were, a second notice appeared in the form of glowing white letters that read "LEVEL UP: 1 to 2". Eddy was in a daze, the whole thing happened so fast that it took a moment for him to process it all. After he had full comprehension of what just happened, he came to realization, he wasn't completely powerless, he wasn't just useless little Eddy here, despite its very real danger, Sword Art Online was still a video game, an RPG no less, strength here wasn't real, it was measured in numbers and increased by repetition, in this world, anyone could be strong, _he_ could be strong. Eddy looked at his reflection in his Beginner's Sword, just because he looked like how he did in the real world, didn't mean he had to be the same, weak, spineless person he truly was, Eddy couldn't survive, but Richmond was a different story. He looked past his blade and saw two more wolves spawn in a few meters away. The moment they spotted him, he readied his sword and charged at them, letting out a battle cry and charging a Sword Skill.

* * *

Double D stirred in his bed as he woke from his slumber. It was morning now and sunlight was pouring into the room through the window, however, Double D wanted to sleep some more, and so he buried his head under the covers to shield himself from the light. It wasn't really that he was still tired; it was more like he didn't want to open his eyes, because every time he did he was met with the sight of the HP bar in the upper right corner of his field of vision, a constant reminder of his terrible fate. After a few moments passed, Double D heard the door open, but just assumed either Ed or Eddy had left the room and ignored it.

"Guys… guys wake up." He heard a voice say before he felt something small and hard land on his head.

"Ow!" Double D exclaimed as he sat up on his bed to see what had hit him, and who. He saw Eddy standing at the foot of his bed with a serious look on his face. He looked around for what had hit him and he saw three Health Potions lying on his bed.

"Come on lumpy, rise and shine." Eddy said as he brought out three more Health Potions and threw them at Ed, which woke him up in a similar manner.

"Eddy, what's going on?" Ed asked with a yawn.

"Come on, we need to get going." Eddy stated and began to walk out of the room.

"Going, going where?" Double D inquired as he picked up the Health Potions and put them in his item bag.

"The next town, where do you think, now come on." He replied as he closed the door behind him. Ed and Double D just stared at where their friend had just been, trying to grasp what they just heard him say. Double D was the first to come to his senses and went after his friend.

"Eddy, Eddy wait!" Double D pleaded as he followed Eddy out of the Inn. Eddy stopped outside in the middle of the path and waited as Double D tried to catch his breath. "Eddy, you can't honestly be considering leaving the sanctity of the Town of Beginnings, can you?" He said in the same tone he used whenever he tried to talk Eddy out of a bad idea.

"That's _exactly_ what I'm suggesting Sock Head." Eddy responded without even turning to face him.

"But… but Eddy, look." Double D then pulled up the mini map to show Eddy, but he still didn't turn around. "This is where we are now, and _this_ is the closest village to our current location, which is still several kilometers away, all of which is teaming with murderous, computer generated beasts!"

"Yeah, so what?" Eddy replied almost bitterly, which seemed to make Double D snap just in time for Ed to join them.

"So what, SO WHAT! Eddy have you forgotten what's at stake here, if we go out there there's no guarantee that we will survive the trip, we nearly met our demise at the hands of a sapphire swine for goodness sakes!"

"Swines are bad for Ed, Eddy." Ed added.

"What are you talking about; we were slaying those boars left and right yesterday, and look." Eddy then opened up the Main Menu and pulled up his stats to show them. Ed and Double D looked at the window and a certain stat caught their eyes. They both were surprised to see that Eddy had somehow managed to raise his Level to 4, contrary to their Level 1.

"Level 4, how did you…?" Ed began, but Eddy cut him off.

"I level grinded out in West Field last night, and not boars, wolves you guys, and let me tell you they put up a heck of a lot more of a fight." Eddy said as he closed the menu. "And we need to get your levels up too, so let's get a move on already."

"Eddy, please be reasonable, it's too dangerous out there." Double D pleaded, making his last attempt to keep Eddy from going.

"Oh yeah, well what do you suggest we do then Double D, lock ourselves up in the Inn for who knows how long hoping that someone will clear the game?" Eddy asked a bit sarcastically.

"Well… yes." Double D answered, catching both Ed and Eddy off guard.

"Wait, seriously, you're really ok with spending the next few months, or even years of your life cooped up in a ratty old inn?" Eddy asked in a much more angered tone.

"Well first of all, that inn happens to be quite nice and second, there's absolutely no problem with choosing life over death." Double D responded, just as angry as Eddy was.

"You're not choosing life; you're choosing "safety"."

"And what's wrong with that!?"

"What's wrong is that it's not _living_!"

"Oh for HEAVENS SAKE EDDY, this is not just one of our average, every day screw ups, and the consequences for screwing up any further are _much_ more severe than getting roughhoused by Kevin or held captive by the Kankers. We. Could. _Die_ Eddy, this is most likely our most profound and horrific mistake we have ever, could ever, and _will_ ever commit!" Double D exploded, tired of how unserious Eddy was taking the situation. Eddy was silent for a moment before he responded.

"No, we could've screwed up a lot worse." He said in a barely audible voice.

"Worse, _worse_, how in god's name could it POSSIBLE, be _any_ worse THAN IT ALREADY IS!"

"WE COULD'VE DONE THIS TO SOMEONE ELSE DOUBLE D!" Eddy roared, instantly silencing his ranting friend. "Johnny, Nazz, Rolf, we could've put any of them in this same situation, and for what, a measly quarter, sure I like Jaw Breakers but not enough to put someone's life in danger like this. Do you really want to spend your time in this world knowing that you were the kind of person that was willing to risk the lives of innocent people for 25 cents , but not your own for your own freedom?!" Eddy was clenching his fists and facing the ground, eyes closed shut to try and hold back tears. Double D didn't know what to say, and he felt quite a bit guilty, he hadn't even thought of the other kids since the tutorial, but his guilt was nothing compared to Ed's, who fell to his knees and began balling his eyes out.

"Ed is sorry everyone… this is all my fault, I have doomed us aaaahahaaaaalll!" Ed sobbed, wallowing in his own grief.

"But… we didn't know…" Double D said in a comforting yet defensive tone.

"Try telling that that their parents." Eddy said in a calm voice, mostly because he was just tired of being angry, they all were.

"Is that what this is all about Eddy, you feel guilty about almost putting someone else's life in danger so you want to put your own life in danger as some sort of penance?" Double D questioned.

"It's not just that." Eddy insisted. "Sure I would've been partly responsible for putting someone's life in danger, but there still would've been one other person that was more responsible that I would ever be… that faceless freak Kabaya or whatever his name was. Sure Ed was the one who brought the NerveGear to us, you were the one to set it up, and I offered it to the kids, but it was still Kabaya that created it, and turned Sword Art Online into the prison it is. And what's worse he did it all on purpose, he willingly put 10,000 people's lives in danger just to make himself feel powerful. Don't you see; if we just coop ourselves up in this village out of fear of dying then we'd just be giving Kabaya what he wants, power. I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired of being pushed around, I could never do anything about it before, but now I have the power to fight back, we all do, and we owe it to the kids back home that we could've put in danger to show this psycho that he can't just play around with human lives like this. So what do say, Lothar, Einstein?" Double D was just blown away; Eddy had given this so much thought, and he knew he would never be able to talk him out of it. But letting him go was one thing, following is something entirely different. Before he could even begin to think of an answer, Ed stood up, wiped away his tears and saluted.

"Lothar reporting for duty Richmond." Ed said in a voice that more closely resembled his typical happy go lucky tone. Eddy smiled at this and then looked to Double D.

"What about you Sock Head?" Eddy asked, still waiting for an answer. Double D was deep in thought, he tried to think logically about this, but every time he thought of going out into the field with them, he remembered his dream, and he realized that he just couldn't do it.

"I-I'm sorry… I-I just can't do it Eddy." He finally responded as he took a few steps back, as if in fear. "I'm not like you two; I just don't have the coordination to properly survive in this hostile world. Besides, if I were to accompany you I would just hinder your own progression."

"What are you saying Double D?" Ed asked.

"You… you should just go without me." Double D said solemnly, somewhat ashamed of his own weakness, but he knew it was for the best. However, Eddy wasn't one to take no for an answer.

"Fat chance Sock Head." Eddy said in his usual rude demeanor, gaining Double D's full attention. "There's no way we're just going to leave you here."

"No man left behind Double D." Ed added with a smile.

"But…" Double D began.

"So you're not the most active person on the planet, so what, me and Ed here are more than able to pick up the slack." Eddy cut him off, trying to reassure his friend.

"No… no, no, no! Don't you see Eddy, that's what I'm afraid of, if you and Ed were to lose your lives trying to protect me… I just wouldn't be able to forgive myself, and the fact that I would most likely lose my life moments later ultimately means that your sacrifices would be for nothing… I just… I just can't do it Eddy." Double D then began crying at the thought, in both fear and shame.

"You know, you're right Double D." Eddy said, surprising his two comrades. "It's true we might die if you come with us, but… we'll _definitely_ die if you don't." Double D ceased his crying and looked up at his friend. "Let's face it Double D, we'd be lost without you, I may be the idea man, but you've always been the real brains of this outfit."

"Yeah, remember you showed Lothar the stance of power." Ed pointed out.

"Right, if it weren't for you we wouldn't even know how to use Sword Skills and we would've probably died a long time ago, we can't do this without you Double D." Eddy said as he put a comforting hand on Double D's shoulder. Double D was touched, Eddy had never shown any appreciation towards him before, and now here he was practically saying that they would die without him.

"Do… do you really mean that Eddy?" He asked as he whipped away his tears.

"Of course, the three of us have been through a lot of crud over the years, but we always got through it, and I know as long as we stick together, we can get through this, so you coming or what, Einstein?" Eddy paused to give Double D a chance to answer. Double D was still apprehensive about the whole situation, his fears were still very much prevalent but knowing that his comrades believed in him so much touched him so, and made him feel like he couldn't just abandon them. Double D took a deep breath and nodded in response, gaining a satisfied smile from Eddy and a large, goofy grin from Ed. "Alright, let's hop to it then, those boars aren't going to slay themselves, and you two noobs need to get your levels up, now come on." Eddy said as he rushed over to the gate of the city. Ed and Double D followed close behind, reveling in the moment of light heartedness. However this was replaced by seriousness as they approached the gate and a warning message that they were about to leave the safe area appeared over head. For a moment all of their previous fears resurfaced, who knows what dangers they would face out in this virtual world of swords, but the fact that they would be facing them together comforted them enough to keep going, to pass that gate and to start their way down the path to the next town. And with that their journey thorough Sword Art Online truly began, it was just the three of them against the world, like it always was, and always will be.

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**A/N: Well, there you have it, Ch 2. Sorry if the Eds were a little OOC in this chap, and that Eddy's reason for wanting to actually play the game didn't really make much sense, but hey, what are you gonna do. I really hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless and I'd like to take this time to respond to a review that an anonymous user gave me.**

**Lover of Eds: First off, I'm really glad that you've enjoyed the last chap and are so happy that I wrote this story, I do tend to make some pretty weird crossovers and knowing that there are some people out there that have a similar mindset to mine is the very reason I started writing on this site in the first place, so yeah, thanks. Second, only Eddy will keep up with the 1H Sword Skill, the other two will change their weapons, but you'll just have to stay tuned to see what they are.**

**Well, that's all I have to say for now, thanks for reading and remember to R&R please. **


	3. Party of Five

**A/N: Hey guys, MCN here, brining you chapter 3 of Sword Ed Online. Well, I don't really have much to say right now, so without further a do, let's get to the chap. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ed, Edd, N Eddy or Sword Art Online**

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**Party of Five**

December 2, 2022 – Tolbana Town

"Come on guys, we're going to be late." Eddy shouted in irritation as he and his friends made their way through the town.

"Well, if you are so concerned about punctuality then perhaps we should not have done that quest on the way here." Double D responded.

"You're telling me, what a rip off, half an hour of fighting off mutant insects and collecting flowers just to get a stupid root!" Eddy complained, crossing his arms in annoyance and disappointment.

"Not just any root Richmond, it's a magic root power!" Ed said in delight as he held up said root in his hands.

"Well I don't know about magic, but it is fairly valuable, according to the guide book the "Mandagora Root" is a fairly rare find on the first floor, in fact it's only available via the quest we did. It's a very common ingredient in mid-level potions." Double D explained as if he were a teacher giving a lecture.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, let's just cash the thing in at an Items Shop and get to the meeting already." Eddy said, not showing any interest in the plain looking item, as far as he was concerned the best possible use for it would just be to gain some extra funds, after all they're going to need it for what they were about to do. It had been about a month since the Eds have found the courage to leave the Town of Beginnings and set out into the world of Sword Art Online. For the first week or so the Eds spent many sleepless nights just trying to raise their level, after all the higher they're level was, the stronger they'd be, and the better chance they'd have of surviving. While they had made descent progress in that regard the same couldn't be said about their gear, after all it was the First Floor and even with their adequate funds they still didn't have much of a selection. The three's apparel hadn't changed much, they still had the generic tunic and pants in their respective colors, but Ed and Eddy replaced their Basic Leather Armor for Light Metal Chest Plates, and Double D traded up to Monster Hide Armor. Eddy and Double D also now had Monster Hide Boots, while Ed had Rusted Iron Boots that he received as a quest reward. As for their weaponry, Ed had switched to a 2H Sword Skill and now wielded a Two Handed Greatsword, feeling it was better for his heavy hitter battle style, while Double D switched to a 2H Assault Spear Skill, due to his meek nature and wanting to be a fair distance away from his target, and now wielded an Iron Spear. Eddy was the only one to retain his 1H Sword Skill but traded in his Beginner's Sword for a Steel Sword.

The Eds were currently on their way to "the Amphitheater" located near the center of the town; Ed had heard a rumor that a meeting would be held there at noon to discuss how to defeat the first floor boss, and since they met the level requirement they thought they might as well here what they had to say.

"Alright gentlemen, we should be able to see the Amphitheater any moment now… oh, and would you look at that, there it is." Double D pointed down a path to his right that led to their destination.

"Finally, let's get over there and see what's up, I swear this better be legit." Eddy said as he and Double D made their way down the path, but they noticed very soon that they forgot something.

"**ED!**" They both shouted to their tall friend who was just blankly staring into space.

"Oh, am I it?" he dimwittedly responded as he caught up to them and they entered the Amphitheater. As the name suggested it was a large stone amphitheater like area that had plain stone seats in a stair like formation going down from the ground and went around in a semicircle until it hit the back wall. There must have been at least 40 other players in attendance, most of them still in their basic gear, which didn't look very promising. The Eds took a seat near the mid-level seats and waited for the meeting to start.

"Okay, let's get started, people!" A player standing at the center of the amphitheater said as he clapped his hands to get everyone attention. The player had a Bronze Armor set on his chest, shoulders, arms, and shins, with a large longsword on his left waist, and a kite shield on his back. He also had blue hair with long bangs, as well blue eyes and blue cloths under his armor, making him one of the more uniquely equipped players in attendance. "Thank you for coming today," He continued as the audience gave him their attention. "My name is Diabel; I like to consider my "job" as Knight." As soon as he said this, the rest of the players all let out a laugh together, one player pointing out that there was no actual job system in SAO, and another wondering if this guy was serious and that if this meeting was even legit. Diabel raised his hands to quiet down the audience, and as soon as this was accomplished his face went from amused to dead serious. "Today, our party found the boss room at the top of the tower." The players had a much different reaction to this statement, they all seemed surprised, the Eds included, after all it has been a month since the game began and the Boss Room had yet to be located, until now apparently. "We need to defeat the boss, reach the second floor, and tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game. Everyone present here shares this duty, do you all agree?" The players responded with applause and the occasional whistle here and there, heck they did everything but give a standing ovation to this guy, everyone seemed impressed with him, including the Eds, his words made even Double D want to follow him into battle, and that's saying something. Once the crowd quieted down, Diabel continued. "All right, then let us begin our planning." He announced, which made all listen intently to him. "First, divide into parties of six. An ordinary party has no chance against a floor boss; we'll need to form a raid group using multiple parties." The Eds enthusiasm turned into awkwardness at this instruction, as soon as he mentioned the word "parties" everyone in the assembly had begun getting together and forming said parties, and before they knew it, they were the only ones left out.

"Well, it seems we are the odd men out, as usual." Double D said in a solemn tone, being reminded of how they were always left out of things back at the Cul-Du-Sac.

"Some things never change." Ed said with a smile on his face, the memories of home more then welcome in his empty void of a mind.

"Ah who needs em, we've been doing pretty well as party just the three of us; I think we can handle ourselves." Eddy said, confident in his own abilities, as well as his teammates'.

"Richmond, you heard what Diabel said, an ordinary party has no chance against a boss, and so I don't think we should go into this fight with anything short of a full party." Double D insisted, getting a bit on Eddy's nerves, but he did have a point, better safe than sorry.

"Well then what do you suggest we do Einstein, there are no other people left to form a party." Eddy pointed out as he leaned back in his seat.

"Well…" Double D thought, trying to think of a solution. Meanwhile Ed was just half listening but picked up that they needed more party members. He looked around the area for a bit and eventually his eyes fell on two other players that were also isolated from the group, and that seemed to have just finished forming a party of their own.

"Eddy, Double D, look, more players." Ed said with glee as he pointed to the higher seats where the players were seated. Before they could even respond, Ed leaped from his seat and rushed over to them. "Fellow warriors, I, Lothar, and my companions, wish to gain entrance into your party." Ed exclaimed to them, gaining strange and awkward looks from them. The first player was a boy around their age with slightly long but neat black hair and black eyes. He had pale skin and wore a blue long sleeved shirt and black pants held up by a belt and black Monster Hide Shoes, as well as a Light Metal Chest Plate and was armed with an Anneal Blade +6. The other was a female that wore a red cloak that covered her whole body including her face, thus they could only see her chin and the Rapier she was carrying.

"ED, will you stop screaming, you're going to give someone a migraine!" Eddy said as he ran up and put Ed into a headlock, just confusing the two players even more.

"Pardon my friend here; he can be a bit… theatrical at times." Double D politely said, bowing, as is Japanese tradition. "However, we do wish to form a party with you, while we will still be short one member, it would still be more beneficial for the raid than a party of two or three. So, what do you say?" Double D asked with a polite and hopeful smile. The male player thought for a moment then turned to the female.

"I'm fine with it, what do you think?" he asked. The female examined the three Eds, making them a bit uncomfortable, but eventually she spoke.

"Fine, just for this fight." She said in a non-caring voice, but it was good enough for Double D.

"Splendid, allow me." He said as he opened the Menu and chose Party, then Invite, and proceeded to do just that. Two windows then appeared before the other players that informed them that they had just been invited to a party and they both accepted the invite. "Excellent, we look forward to working with you, uh..."

"Okay, have you formed your parties?" Diabel announced, cutting Double D off and regaining everyone's attention. "Then…"

"Just a second!" A voice shouted from behind them. They all looked to see another player stand on the edge of the amphitheater, who then proceeded to jump down and stand before Diabel. He was a short yet solidly built man with sienna, spiky hair. He also has a small sienna goatee and brown eyes and wears Scale Mail Armor with a rather large one-handed sword on his back. "My name's Kibaou. I wanna say something before we take on this boss." He announced, gaining the interest of the other players. "Some of you here need to apologize to the two thousand who have died so far!" He said as he pointed incriminatingly at the audience. Everyone was a bit taken back by his statement, after all what could he possibly mean by it.

"Kibaou-san, are you referring to the Beta Testers?" Diabel inquired, hoping to clear things up.

"Of course I am, on the day this stupid death game started, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and they all disappeared. They took all the good hunting spots and easy quests for themselves so only they could get stronger, and then they just ignored the rest of us." Kibaou then turned towards the audience with a foul look on his face. "I'm sure someone here was in the Beta! They should get on their knees and apologize, and give up all the items and money they've hoarded. Otherwise, we can't trust them to protect us as party members, and they shouldn't trust us!" Once he finished his rant, the players began to wonder if there was any truth to his words. The Eds had mixed feelings about his suggestions, it was true that the Beta Testers did have an unfair advantage, having played through the game before and all, and they certainly didn't help out any of the beginners either, but stripping them of all their loot just seemed kind of harsh to them. Eddy's mind drifted a bit but was brought back to earth once he caught a glimpse of his new party member, Kirito. He seemed awfully anxious, he was visibly shaking and he could see a bead of sweat trail down his cheek. What could possibly be making him so nervous, unless…

"May I speak?" They heard someone say, which brought Eddy out of his thoughts. They looked over to where the voice came from and saw a large, muscular black man stand from his seat and walked up to Kibaou. He towered over him, intimidating the big-mouthed player quite a bit, and the large Two Handed Axe on his back didn't help. "My name is Egil." He introduced himself. "Kibaou-san, tell me if I have this right, you're saying that because the Beta Testers didn't take care of them, many beginners died. That they should take responsibility, apologize, and provide compensation. Correct?"

"Y-yeah." Kibaou responded, trying to sound like he wasn't intimidated, but it didn't work one bit. Egil then reached into his Items Pouch and pulled out the all too familiar looking Guide Book.

"You got this Guide Book, didn't you? It was provided for free at the Items Store."

"Sure I did… why?"

"It was compiled from information given by the Beta Testers." The other players were downright shocked by this new information, after all the Guide Book had saved their skins are more than one occasion, they'd literally be lost without it. "Listen, everyone had equal access to this information, and even still many players died." He announced to the audience. "I thought the topic of discussion here was what we could learn from their deaths, and how that could help us defeat the boss." Once he was finished, he looked back at Kibaou who just turned away from him and sat back down in a huff. Eddy turned his attention back to Kirito, who seemed very relieved by the looks of it, which Eddy took a note of for later.

"Alright, then can we resume?" Diabel said, everyone's attention returning to him. "The latest edition of the Guide Book was just issued, and it contains information on the boss." The audience was impressed by this, especially Double D. "According to it, the boss's name is Illfang the Kobold Lord; he is guarded by assistants known as Ruin Kobold Sentinels. He is armed with an axe and a buckler, he has four Health Bars, and when the last one enters the red, he switches to a Curved Sword type weapon called a Talwar, his attack patterns change as well." The whole assembly was in awe at the boss's description, it sounded very tough, and to think it was just the First Floor Boss. "This concludes the briefing. Lastly, items will be automatically distributed; EXP goes to the party that defeats the monster, and whoever receives an item keeps it, any objections?" he paused for a moment and when nobody spoke up, he continued. "Okay, we leave tomorrow at ten in the morning, see you there!" With that the assembly was dismissed, but very few actually left. Some went down to converse with Diabel, while others stayed in the stands to converse among themselves. The Eds just sat in their seats in silence, as if waiting for something more to happen, but nothing did.

"Wait, that's it, the meeting's over?" Eddy asked in irritation.

"It would appear so." Double D said with a similar confusion.

"What the heck, we're not going to go over a strategy or anything, man what a rip off!"

"They'll tell us later Richmond." Ed chimed in.

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, Lumpy." Eddy said sarcastically as he patted Ed's shoulder.

"Actually he's right." Kirito said, much to the Eds' surprise.

"Say what?" Eddy said.

"They first have to confirm how many people, and more importantly, full parties are going to be participating in the raid. My guess is that once we meet up tomorrow he's going to do a head count and then tell us our positions and roles for the boss fight (**A/N: I know that's probably now how they did it, but I'm working off the anime, so yeah**)." Kirito explained without even looking at the three, making him seem like a wise sage of sorts.

"Really, well that does seem pretty reasonable, after all you never know who is going to join in at the last minute." Double D said, intrigued by the procedure.

"Usually they'd put a cap on how many players and parties can participate in these sort of things, that way they could just plan a strategy before hand and relay it to the players at the actual meeting, but since this is going to be life or death, they'll take anyone they can get, when ever can get them, as long as they meet the level requirement." Kirito continued.

"Wow, you sure know a lot about this stuff, guess you're a real hardcore game, huh?" Eddy said, with obvious suspicion in his voice.

"Well, I guess you could say that, I have played a lot of online games before, the etiquette is pretty much the same for the most part." Kirito said a bit awkwardly, as if he were hiding something. There was an awkward silence, which Asuna took advantage of to leave, and the Eds thought that that might not have been a bad idea.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me I'm off to the Items Shop to see if I can procure that new edition of the Guide Book, might as well review the information on the boss and what not." Double D said as he stood up from his seat and made his way to the stairs.

"Alright Sock Head, me and Lothar here are going to find a Smith Shop to improve our weapons for the fight, meet us back in Fountain Plaza when you're ready to find a place to eat." Eddy said as he and Ed went off in the opposite direction.

"Lothar needs food to fuel his warrior spirit." Ed stated as he rubbed his belly.

"Oh, and one more thing, take the Melanoma Root and cash it in at the Shop while you're there, and buy some supplies too." Eddy called back to Double D as he opened his Items Storage and transferred the item to Double D.

"It's Mandagora Richmond, not Melanoma." Double D corrected.

"Po-TAY-to Po-TAH-to Einstein." Eddy said as he and Ed exited the Amphitheater. Double D let out a sigh, but smiled right after. Things were finally getting back to normal between the three friends, the past month has been rough on all of them, and he was just happy that they all were beginning to act as if they were back at the Cul-Du-Sac just hanging about just as kids their age should.

"Hey, are you sure you want to sell that item?" Kirito asked, bringing Double D out of his thoughts. "The Large Mandagora Root would last for at least 12 Health Potions, or 6 Health Hi-Potions, it's good item to have to start improving ones Medicine Mixing Skill."

"Oh yeah, there is a Skill that improves ones potion making skill isn't there. Hmm, perhaps I should reconsider selling it." Double D contemplated as he put the item in his Inventory. "I appreciate the advice Kirito, you know me and my comrades were planning on going to lunch after we complete our errands, would you care to join us?" He offered, noticeably surprising Kirito. He thought for a moment and then spoke.

"Uh, no thanks, I'm not really hungry, and I actually have some things I need to take care of, but… thanks for the offer."

"Oh, very well then, perhaps some other time then." Double D politely responded.

"Yeah, maybe, well, see you tomorrow." Kirito said in a somewhat gloomy tone and then proceeded to leave the Amphitheater. Double D could sense something was troubling the young lad, but decided not to pry, and thus went on his way to find an Items Shop.

Kirito sneaked a peak at Double D walking down the path towards the "shopping district" of the town. The truth was Kirito felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought of spending time with the Eds, after all they all seemed like very close friends, they possibly even knew each other from the real world, he'd just feel like a third wheel of sorts in their presents. Plus he knew Eddy was on to him, and he couldn't risk being discovered as a Beta Tester, especially not before the boss fight. He let out a sigh and continued his way to the Town Gate; he thought he might as well get some last minute level grinding in.

* * *

Ed stared intently as the NPC blacksmith slammed his hammer on the blade of his sword, sparks flying in every which way with each hit. After the final hit, the blade began to glow and a notice popped up that stated that his Greatsword upgraded to +2 (+1 Sharpness, +1 Durability).

"The upgrade was a success, please come again." The NPC said as he handed Ed back his sword.

"You have Lothar's thanks, oh mighty smitherer." Ed said with a bow as he placed his sword on his back.

"Alright, I'm next." Eddy said as he pulled out his Steel Sword and handed it to the blacksmith. As the NPC went to work, Eddy found himself thinking about how Kirito reacted to Kibaou's speech, and what it could possibly mean. "Hey Lothar, what do you think about what Kibaou said, about the Beta Testers I mean?"

"All for one and one for all, Richmond." Ed said with a smile as he browsed the shop. Surprisingly Eddy was able to make sense of Ed's whimsical statement, sure the Beta Testers got a bit of a head start, but they had a right to the strength and loot they acquired just like everyone else did, they worked just as hard for it after all, and because of the Guide Book they didn't even have an unfair advantage. Plus even if there were Beta Testers among the raid group, wouldn't that benefit everyone; having experienced players fighting along side them to defeat the boss, it sure wouldn't be a hindrance, that's for sure. Eddy had to hand it his friend, while he might be simple minded at times, he always saw the good in things, and that was important in their current situation.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, thanks Lothar." Eddy replied with a smile. The NPC then finished his sword, enhancing it to +4 (+2 Quickness, +2 Durability), and handed it back to him. Eddy gratefully received it and the two made their way back to Fountain Plaza to meet up with Double D.

* * *

December 3, 2022 – Floor 1: Forest Field

"Support Duty, how come we're the ones stuck on Support Duty?" Eddy complained. It was about 10:30 AM, Kirito, Asuna, and the Eds met up with the rest of the raid group and were now marching toward the First Floor Dungeon. Just as Kirito predicted, they received their assignments once they met up at the gate, and needless to say Eddy wasn't quite happy with them.

"It is understandable Eddy, after all we're the only party with just five players." Double D pointed out.

"So we're down one person, that shouldn't make much of a difference." Asuna said in a calm voice, but just as irritated as Eddy was.

"It can't be helped, someone needs to keep the Ruin Kobold Sentinels at bay during the fight, so it might as well be us." Kirito tried to reason with the two, which seemed to at least calm them down. "Now, let's go over it again, since Einstein and Asuna have weapons made for thrusting, Richmond, Lothar and I will play as forward. We'll use a Sword Skill to knock their Pole Axes up, the second we do, you two switch in." Kirito explained, gaining understanding nods from the Eds.

"Switch?" Asuna said in confusion.

"Wait, is this the first time you've ever been in a party?" Kirito asked in astonishment, especially when she nodded her head in response. Kirito lowered his head in disappointment, while Eddy burst out in laughter, at least until Asuna grunted and grabbed her sword threateningly, which silenced the short Ed boy. With that, they continued the trek in silence.

* * *

The raid group had finally made it to the long sought out Boss Room; before them was a large, brown, metal door with elegant designs all over it, while it didn't look very intimidating in itself, they all knew that what lay behind it would be a force to be reckoned with. The journey through the Dungeon wasn't so bad, especially with the so many people, but it still took some effort and thus they all had to take last minute preparations for the fight, making sure they had full health and healing potions at the ready and what not. Eventually, the entire raid group was set and ready for battle, seeing this, Diabel stood before them all.

"Listen up, everyone." He said as he plunged his sword into the ground to gain everyone's attention. "I have only one thing to say; let's win!" He announced, gaining confident nods and smirks from most of the players. "Let's go." With that said, Diabel pushed the door opened. The room beyond it was in total darkness, the light from the hallway not even eliminating half of it. Diabel took the first steps into the room followed by his party, looking for any signs of "life". Everyone was dead silent when they saw a pair of glowing red eyes pierce through the darkness, some even considered turning back, but Diabel kept strong and moved forward. After he took a few more steps, the entire room became lit up with a brilliant blue and purple light that seemed to emanate from the walls and floor themselves. It was in this new, luminescent glow, that the players got their first look at the Boss. It was a large red beast, over two meters tall, wearing nothing but a purple loincloth and metal kneepads. It grabbed a large, one-handed Bone Axe and a Buckler Shield and leaped off his throne at the end of the room. Upon his landing he let out a menacing roar and the words "Illfang the Kobold Lord" appeared over his head, along with four Health Bars. Moments later, three little creatures wearing full body armor spawned in front of Illfang, the words "Ruin Kobold Sentinel" appearing above it. The four monsters then charged towards the group, completely intent on ending their lives. "Commence attack!" Diabel ordered, prompting the entire raid group to charge as well, letting out fierce battle cries showing their determination. The two forces met in the middle of the room, and thus the battle officially began. Three of the Squads engaged Illfang directly, the "Tank Squad" gaining its attention and the "Assault Squads" actually dealing the damage. Two other squads were standing by; ready to switch in when given the order, and finally the "Assist Squad" went to work on the Sentinels.

"Alright, guys, this is it, let's do it!" Eddy exclaimed as he readied his sword for the incoming enemies.

"FOR THE HORD!" Ed shouted at the top of his lungs as he, Eddy, and Kirito rushed forward, followed close behind by Asuna. Double D however was extremely hesitant, his old fears resurfacing again; it wasn't until he received a tug from Asuna that he finally followed his party into combat.

"Remember the plan, knock the weapons away and move aside." Kirito reiterated for the last time.

"I got it man, just try and keep up." Eddy replied in a cocky tone and he sprinted ahead and began charging his Sword Skill. Eddy was thus the first to meet with his assigned adversary, the Sentinel swung its huge, crudely made hammer at him but he unleashed his Sword Skill just in time to block the attack and knock the heavy weapon upward, all according to plan. "Einstein, now!" He called towards his friend.

"Oh right, um…" Double D fumbled to get his spear in the right position to activate his Sword Skill. But before it even flashed the bright green it was meant to, Asuna dashed forward, Sword Skill all charged and ready, and thrust her Rapier into the enemy, decreasing it's health bar slightly. Eddy was astonished, all he did was blink and she appeared there, having already stuck the blow to the red skinned monster, he's never seen anything like it.

"Stay focused." Asuna said as she leaped back into position, reminding Eddy that he still had a job to do.

"R-right." Eddy said, turning his attention back to the Sentinel just in time to block a strike meant for his head. He heard a loud grunt and looked over to see that Kirito had just knocked the second Sentinel's weapon up.

"Switch!" he stated as he moved aside, and just like before Asuna swiftly moved into position and landed another lightning fast hit. The second she stepped back Kirito immediately reengaged the monster, blocking a hit and then using a Sword Skill to knock away the weapon, but this time he swung his sword back and landed a hit of his own on it's head, causing it to stammer a bit and still giving Asuna the chance to switch in and deal another devastating blow. Eddy just stared at them in awe, he thought that he and his pals were getting pretty strong, but these two were on a whole other level, it pissed him off a bit, but it also made him feel a little safe, and gave him hope for actually beating this boss. He refocused on his enemy and broke out of his stalemate and knocked its weapon up like before.

"Double D, quick, switch!" he ordered as he stepped aside. Double D took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and just before the Sentinel recuperated, he unleashed his Sword Skill and drove his spear into its chest. He opened his eyes and saw the creature's health diminish, though only slightly, which gave him an odd sensation of satisfaction and pride.

"I-I did it, I actually did it!" he said excitedly as he pulled his spear out of the Sentinel and stepped back.

"Don't get too excited Sock Head, we still have a long way to go." Eddy reminded as he reengaged his foe.

"Einstein!" Double D heard Ed yell and turned to see that he had knocked away the hammer of his own Sentinel. Double D knew what he meant and ran over to him, spear at the ready, and landed another jab on the guard, knocking it back and allowing Ed to land a hit of his own.

The party continued with this strategy until all of the Sentinels were gone, but every time one of Illfang's health bars emptied, three more would spawn in to continue protecting their master, and thus Kirito, Asuna, and the Eds continued fending them off. Eventually the Assault Squad got the Boss down to its last health bar, it wouldn't be long before they beat it.

"Squad A, Squad C, switch!" Diabel ordered. However, Illfang was completely focused on the squad, making it difficult for them to switch out. "Here it comes, Squad B, block!" He said, prompting the squad to move in and gain the beast's attention. "Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch. Now, switch, draw, and prepare to attack from the side. Squads D, E, and F, keep the Sentinels off us."

"Roger." Kirito responded before taking on another Sentinel. By this time the party acted as two groups, with the Eds in one and Kirito and Asuna in the other. On average, it took the Eds the same time to kill one Sentinel that it took Kirito and Asuna to kill two. Eddy was still astounded at their skill, and despite feeling a bit inferior, he figured it wasn't worth complaining about, after all since they were all in the same party they all got the same amount of EXP for the whole fight. Eventually, they heard Illfang make a loud growling sound and saw that his last HP bar was finally in the red zone, prompting him to throw aside his Bone Axe and Buckler Shield.

"Looks like that information was right." Kibaou confidently said, he and the rest of the raid group fully prepared for the final assault.

"Stand back," Diabel ordered as he rushed to the front rank. "I'll go." Upon hearing this, Kirito turned his attention from the guards to his commander.

'_Wait, we were supposed to surround it with the entire group_._'_ Kirito said in his head, wondering what was with the sudden change of plans. Diabel glanced back at Kirito and gave him a knowing smirk, and with that Kirito knew what he was up to. Diabel stopped a few meters away from Illfang, his guard up and Sword Skill charging. The large beast stared down this new adversary as he reached behind his belt and pulled out a large, strange looking, black sword. Kirito's heart skipped a beat as he saw exactly what this new weapon was. _'That isn't a Talwar; it's a No-Dachi! It's not the same as the Beta Test!'_ Kirito exclaimed to himself as he fended off a Sentinel. He knocked it way and turned to his commander. "No!" he shouted, much to everyone's surprise, including the Eds. "Jump back as fast as you can!" But it was too late, Diabel had already unleashed the Sword Skill; the system was forcing him to move forward. Before he even got into striking distance, Illfang leaped onto a coulomb and began rapidly ricocheting himself all across the room.

"Oh my." Double D said, nervously gripping his spear.

"That's just insane!" Eddy exclaimed.

"Mess with the bull, you get the snout." Ed added. Suddenly, without warning, Illfang came down and slashed Diabel with a direct hit, knocking him back and making him drop his sword and shield. It then ran up to him while he was still in the air and hit him again with his No-Dachi, sending him flying across the room like a baseball.

"Diabel!" Kibaou shouted in concern, but his attention was grabbed by Illfang landing right in front of him and his party and roaring in his face.

"Diabel." Kirito said as he rushed over to the fallen warrior's side. The Sentinel he was fighting tried to take the chance to land a heavy hit on the young player, but Eddy landed a direct hit on it from the side, causing it to shift it's focus to him. He and his party continued fending off the Sentinels while Kirito tended to Diabel. He held the "knight" up in his arms and watched as his HP was slowly diminishing. "Why did you try to do it alone?" He asked as he took out a Health Potion and handed it to Diabel, but to his surprise he pushed it away.

"You were… a Beta Tester weren't you?" He said, surprising Kirito further, he hadn't even spoke to him for more then five minutes, and yet he could tell. "You know what I was doing." He was right; Kirito knew exactly what he was doing.

"You were after the Last Attack Bonus Rare Item. You were a Beta Tester too?" Kirito inquired, but he knew that that was the only way he couldn't possibly known about the rare Item. Diabel just smirked in response.

"Please, defeat…defeat the boss… for everyone…" And with that, his body shattered into a million polygon shards, gone from both this world, and the real one. The Eds turned their attention back to the scene just in time to witness this; they're eyes widened in shock and horror, they couldn't believe what just happened. Sure they knew that death in this game was a possibility, and that around 2000 players had already perished, but this was the first time that they had seen it with they're very own eyes, a living, thinking person's life brought to an end by a computer generated monstrosity. And not only that, but it was their leader, the man who brought them all together and made this whole thing possible, with him gone, the raid group had all but lost hope. It was a complete free for all; all the players were just frantically attacking and defending, only concerned about their own safety, even the Eds began to scramble, just mindlessly swinging their weapons at the Sentinels hoping that one of their strikes would land. Kirito stood up and looked at the chaos, he knew that if this didn't end soon, even more players would die. He tightly gripped his sword, taking a few seconds of mental preparation before he went into action.

"I'll go too." Asuna declared as she stood next to Kirito, knowing what he was about to do.

"Thanks." He said in response. The two charged towards the beast, determination on their faces and weapons in hand. "Guys, forget the Sentinels, we need to finish this now!" Kirito called to the Eds, who finally managed to calm down enough to take down a Sentinel. The Eds were a bit hesitant, especially after what happened. They looked at the big hulking monster before them and all they could think of was running away. However, they knew that they couldn't do that, if they did it would just compromise everything that they had worked for so far; they needed to take a stand and finish what they started.

"Well you heard the man, let's go!" Eddy stated as he joined Kirito and Asuna on their run. Ed and Double D followed soon after, and the party of five made their move against the Kobold Lord.

"We'll do it just like the Sentinels, Lothar, you start us off." Kirito directed. The Eds then sprinted ahead and Ed taking the lead. Illfang saw the three boys coming and began charging a Sword Skill, causing Ed to do the same. The two clashed their blades together, each knocking the other back. This allowed Double D to move in and stab the defenseless Illfang in the gut, staggering him and giving Eddy the chance to leap off the spear and land a hit of his own on his head. Illfang recovered quickly and refocused on the boys that just struck him, but as he swung his sword at them, they moved aside and Kirito used a Sword Skill to knock the sword away.

"Switch!" He called, prompting Asuna to make her move and come at the beast with her rapier glowing a brilliant white. But just as she was about to strike, Illfang regained his balance and Kirito noticed this. "Asuna!" he yelled in warning, just in time for her to duck under the No-Dachi, just she couldn't save her cloak. It was ripped off, revealing her to be a beautiful young lady, around the boys' age, with long orangish brown hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes. She immediately recharged her Sword Skill and jabbed her weapon right into Illfang's gut, knocking him back. The boys stared in astonishment, and both Asuna's strength and beauty, but it was Kirito to first come to his senses.

"He's coming back." He warned as he rushed up and blocked his attack, allowing Asuna and Double D to each get an attack in. Illfang focused his next attack on the two, but Kirito jumped in and blocked three of his swings. Kirito then used a Sword Skill to knock the No-Dachi away again, but this time Illfang swung it back around, the Sword Skill leaving Kirito completely vulnerable. "Crap!" He said before he was struck by the large, black blade, being knocked back right into Asuna. They both fell to the ground, Asuna watching Kirito's HP drain almost halfway. Illfang then appeared above them, his sword glowing a bright red over his head, ready to finish the duo. Asuna raised her rapier in defense, but to her surprise, Egil blocked the strike with his axe, his swing strong enough to even knock Illfang into the air.

"Retribution!" Ed shouted as he leaped up and hit Illfang with a Sword Skill while he was in the air, in a similar manner that Illfang did to Diabel. The rest of Egil's party charged in, hoping to get a few hits in before the boss recuperated.

"We'll hold him off while you recover." Egil said to Kirito in a reassuring and determined tone.

"You're…" Kirito began but Egil joined to fight before he could finish, but Kirito was all the more grateful. Egil's party, along with the Eds, fended off Illfang as best they could, but he blocked most of their strikes with his over sized sword. Eventually he knocked the entire group away with one large swing, and leaped into the air for a downward strike.

"Watch out!" Kirito said as he finished healing and grabbed his sword and charged up a Sword Skill. "I'll get you first!" He met Illfang in the air and his blade did indeed pass his and land on Illfang's flesh. This caused the large monster to loose balance and crash into the floor, while Kirito landed with a roll, which allowed him to immediately stand back up and make his way over to the boss. "Guys, we almost got him, let's finish this together!" he announced to his party, which complied as they charged at Illfang the Kobold Lord one last time. As the boss monster got back and swung it's sword toward the incoming players, Ed knocked it away, prompting Double D to get a jab into its chest. Illfang tried once again to swing at the players, but Eddy blocked the attack allowing Asuna to thrust her sword into it, causing him to stager and giving Kirito the opportunity to land another hit. He saw the final HP only had a sliver left, and in the moment of desperation, let out an intimidating shout and landed one last upward slash that ran across the whole length of the monster. As soon as his blade left his flesh, Illfang let out a shriek of pain and burst into billions upon billions of virtual polygons. The room was silent as the polygons rained down upon the players, they were all waiting as if expecting for another enemy to spawn in or something of the sort, but nothing came, except for the large "Congratulations" message that appeared over head, and thus they knew that it was over.

"W-WE DID IT!" one of the party members exclaimed, the room filling with cheers of victory, the group reveling in their moment of triumph. The room then went back to its original color, and Kirito took a moment to catch his breath. He opened his eyes and saw a window labeled "Congratulations" and with the message "You got the last attack bonus item". A second later, another window appeared with a Coat Icon next to the words "Coat of Midnight".

"Good work." Asuna said, causing him to turn around to see her, Egil, and the Eds all gathered around him.

"That was splendid swordsmanship, congratulations, this victory belongs to you." Egil congratulated.

"No…" Kirito said humbly.

"It's true man, you've got some serious skills." Eddy chimed in, crossing his arms and an approving smile on his face.

"Indeed, surely if it were not for you, this raid would have been a complete failure." Double D added.

"All hail Kirito, the hero of Aincrad!" Ed exclaimed, causing the other players to cheer for the young boy and even applaud. Kirito felt a bit awkward with all the attention, but he couldn't say he didn't appreciate it, and he did feel some form of pride for being able to help vanquish the monster. However, just as everything seemed all well and good…

"Why?!" Kibaou shouted over the commotion, silencing them all and gaining their attention. "Why… why did you let Diabel die?"

"Let him die?" Kirito said in confusion.

"Of course, you knew the technique the boss used, if you'd told us about that up front, he wouldn't have died!" He claimed hysterically, tears welling up in his eyes for his fallen comrade. This got the other players thinking, and eventually they came to the very conclusion that Eddy had arrived too long ago.

"He must be a Beta Tester!" One player accused. "That's how he knew all the boss's attack patterns; he knew but he didn't tell us!" The player's attitude toward Kirito shifted from admiration and respect, to disgust and hatred, but Kirito wouldn't have to worry about it for long. "Other Beta Testers are here too, right, come out and show yourselves!" The players then turned on each other, once good friends and allies were now looking at each other incriminatingly, ready to lash out at them should any of them prove to be a Beta Tester. Eddy couldn't believe what was happening, so what if Kirito was a Beta Tester, if it weren't for him they'd all probably be dead right now. Plus the information about the Boss fight was wrong, it was different from the beta and thus how could Kirito tell them about it before hand, and it's not like he didn't try to warn Diabel when he realized it. Everyone was just being blinded by their fear and mourning, and Eddy couldn't stand it, he decided to speak up, and defend their champion. Kirito was on edge as well, but for a totally different reason. To think that just the possibility of someone being a Beta Tester were enough to tear the whole group apart. There were 1000 Beta Testers in Sword Art Online, and if this prejudice against them keeps up, the players would never be able to form another raid group again, and thus, never beat another boss again. This isn't what Diabel wanted, and Kirito needed to do something about it. He looked back at the window for a second and took a loud, cliché gulp, knowing what he had to do.

"Alright, just hang on a second there buster…" Eddy began, but before he could tell Kibaou off, he heard Kirito let out a maniacal laugh, turning everyone's attention back to the dark haired swordsman.

"A Beta Tester? I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies." He said before he began to walk menacingly toward Kibaou's party, the sea of players parting as he approached.

"W-what?"

"Most of the thousand Beta Testers were beginners who didn't even know how to level up, you guys are better then they are." He claimed making his way closer and closer to the party. "But I'm not like them… I made it higher then anyone else during the beta test. The reason I knew the Boss's skills is because I fought monsters with Katana Skills on floors far above us." He informed a he stood before the group with his hand on his hip, trying to look confident, and he shot them a nasty glare. "I know a lot more, way more then any information broker."

"W-what?" Kibaou said, shocked at Kirito's boastful claims. "That's… that's way worse then a Beta Tester. You're cheating, a cheater!" Kibaou accused, turning everyone's hatred towards Kirito once more.

"Yeah, a cheater!"

"A Beta Tester and a cheater… a Beater!" One player called out. Double D gagged a little at the imaginary word, while Ed, Eddy, and Asuna waited to hear Kirito's defense.

"A Beater… I like it." He said, to everyone's surprise, especially the Eds. "That's right, I am a Beater, from now on don't confuse me with the other Testers." He ordered, as he opened the Menu and equipped his Coat of Midnight, appearing on him in the form of a black trench coat with brown shoulder pads, making him look all the more intimidating. He spared one last mocking smile at Kibaou and turned his back on the entire group, making his way to the end of the room and up the stairs. At first everyone just stared as he walked up the step, as if waiting for him to leave out of fear or shock, the Eds were among them, especially Eddy. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, the man he had just begun to respect, and maybe even admire, pretty much just shoved his superiority into their faces and basically said that they were all losers compared to him; Eddy felt betrayed, and did the rest of the Eds, but while Ed and Double D just seemed depressed, Eddy was furious. He tried to keep his anger under control; once he was gone he could just forget this whole thing. However, before he got too far, Asuna ran after him, stopping right before the stairs.

"Wait." She said. Kirito complied and stopped in his tracks, a little surprised in fact, though he didn't show it. "You called my name while we were fighting."

"Sorry for using your first name, or did I mess up the pronunciation?" Kirito nonchalantly responded.

"Where did you learn it?"

"You can see another HP Gauge below yours, around here, right?" he said as he pointed to where it would've been seen. "Isn't something written next to it?" Asuna then looked below her HP bar and saw four others, there was Lothar, Richmond, Einstein, and…

"Ki-ri-to, Kirito, is that your name?"

"Yeah."

"Ha, ha, oh, it's been there all this time!" Asuna giggled, a bit embarrassed she didn't notice. It was strange, if Kirito hadn't seen her in battle, he would've sworn she was a beginner.

"What the heck, that's all you have to say to him!" Eddy shouted as he approached his fellow party members in rage, followed closely by Ed and Double D. "After all the stuff he said all you want to know is how he knew your name! He pretty much just said he's better then the rest of us and that we're not worth his time!" he exclaimed, pointing incriminatingly at Kirito. Asuna didn't know what to say, she knew what Kirito was trying to do, and she couldn't defend him or it would ruin it, so she just lowered her head, a look of false shame on her face.

"Richmond," Kirito said, Eddy reluctantly turning his attention to him. "Don't get me wrong, you four are pretty strong, and I expect great things from you all, but right now… you would just drag me down." He said coldly as he opened the Menu, opened the Guild tab, and chose the dissolve option. The extra HP bars disappeared from their field of vision, and the notice that the party had just been dissolved appeared before them.

"Drag you… why you ungrateful little… let me at him!" Eddy exploded as he attempted to assault Kirito, but was held back by his friends.

"Richmond, calm yourself, don't start something you can't finish." Double D advised, and while Eddy hated to admit it, he was right. He saw Kirito and battle, and he knew he couldn't beat him in a fight, with or without swords. He let out a frustrated growl.

"And to think I was going to vouch for you!" He shouted, but Kirito just acted like he didn't hear him and continued up the steps. The Eds just watched as the newly pronounced Beater effortlessly pushed the large, steel door open, beyond which was an eerie mist that engulfed Kirito as he exited the Boss Room. His absence did nothing to relieve the tension among the group; they were all hesitant to continue on, and they all decided that it wouldn't hurt to wait one more day before entering the second Floor, if anything to prepare themselves for what was to come in the surely more difficult territory.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it, chapter 3. Again, sorry if I was way off about how they did the strategy meetings, remember I'm going off the Anime and they didn't actually show them make any real plan, so yeah. Also sorry if I didn't do a very good job with Kirito and Asuna, I know I didn't really give them much... presence in this chap, but this was basically and adaption of the second episode, so we already know what they were thinking and junk, and besides they're thought's and feelings aren't the main focus of this fic, the Eds are, so yeah. Also I'd like to hear you opinions on some things, first of how do you feel about how I ended it, I kind of wanted to show how most of the players felt after Kirito's little stunt through the Eds, and as you can see they and Kirito are going to be a little at odds with each other for most of the rest of the fic, how do you guys feel about that, do you like, hate it, want to kill me for it, tell me your opinions. Also, I would like to know if there are any pairings you'd like to see in this fic, my only rules on that is no Yaoi, no Yuri, and nothing that interferes with Kirito x Asuna, anything else is perfectly fine. Well, that's all I got to say for now, I hope you enjoyed the fic and I'll come back at you guys real soon, see ya, and don't forget to R&R please. **


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